That's When I Knew
by AlixJay
Summary: Rachel and Lucy were best friends before something happened that drew them apart. 17 years later, Rachel has no memory of her life since she was 13. She finds Lucy, who goes by Quinn now, living in NYC and tries to figure out why they stopped being friends. When Rachel learns that Quinn is going to marry Santana, she comes to an untimely realization.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Loosely based off of a movie. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Next."

Rachel worried her lip and stepped forward to the balding man behind the white line.

"Sit on the stool there and look here." he said without making eye contact. Just as she put her books down on her lap and brought her head up, a flash went off.

"Next."

"Wait…" Rachel said, standing up quickly. "I wasn't ready. I like to have my pictures taken on my left-"

"Next." the man repeated.

"But my-"

"Move it, nerd." sneered an older boy, pushing Rachel out of the way. Pulling her binder closer to her chest, Rachel's head lowered toward the floor as she left the gymnasium.

"Hey! How is it?"

Rachel glanced over to her best friend and shook her head slowly before handing over her picture sample. "Horrible."

"It's not that bad." Lucy shrugged. "Besides, we're supposed to look weird in school pictures."

"I guess." Rachel smiled until she saw who was coming behind Lucy. "Hey Kurt!"

"Rachel." Looking over to Lucy, he rolled his eyes. "Caboosey." The blonde looked down at the ground. "How'd your picture turn out?"

"Not too good…" Rachel shook her head, clutching the sample to her chest.

"Yeah, mine either."

"Nuh huh, Kurt! Yours are the best!" one of the girls behind him gushed. Another agreed. Kurt batted his eyes and held his up.

Rachel looked at it in awe. "God, you're so photogenic!"

"Well, I kind of have to be if I'm going to be on Broadway."

Lucy couldn't stand being around Kurt and his stuck up musical posse anymore. "I'll meet you out front, Rach."

"Do whatever you want, Caboosey." Kurt sneered. "It's not like she needs a play by play."

Throwing her backpack over her shoulders, Lucy walked away. Kurt mumbled after her and approached Rachel. "I've been meaning to talk to you about your party this weekend."

"I'm so happy that you and your friends can come!" Rachel said, ecstatic.

"That's just it." Kurt furrowed his brow. "We have a group project due Monday and we haven't even started it yet, so it's going to take all weekend to do it. Jesse can't go, either, because he took the class last year and agreed to help us."

Rachel tightened her grip on her sample before blurting. "I'll do it for you!"

"Fabulous." Kurt's expression brightened. "See you at four, then."

With a snap of his fingers, he and his posse were out of sight.

x

"I don't know why you invited them…" Lucy sighed, laying on Rachel's bed as the brunette was getting ready.

"Because they're my friends." Rachel smacked her lips. "Well, they will be soon."

Rolling over onto her back, Lucy stared up at the ceiling. "It's just that-"

"Quiet!" Rachel yelled, running over to the TV and turning it up. "It's Rick!"

Lucy tilted her head back as far as she could, watching Rachel dance around her room to _Jessie's Girl_. Kneeling down next to the TV, Rachel sighed, causing Lucy to roll her eyes. "Dream on, he's like 30 something."

"I wish I was 30 something…" she said, getting up from the floor. "I'd be on Broadway, the winner of dozens of Tony's and Jesse St. James would be _my_ Mr. Berry. "

"Well, you're not 30, you're 13." Lucy sat up.

"Don't remind me." Rachel huffed and looked at the clock. "Come on, they'll be here soon."

"I-I need to run home and get something."

"Then do it?" Rachel replied with an attitude. "I don't need a play by play."

Lucy's face drained of any pleasant expression as she watched her best friend hurry down to the basement.

x

Kurt and his posse looked back and forth between each other as the music filled the room. "Let's spice things up a bit, shall we?" he snickered to his friends before walking over to where Rachel was awkwardly standing. "Ever hear of 7 minutes?"

Rachel searched her memory, but couldn't think of anything. She didn't want to look like a loser, so she lied. "Of course! How's that one played again?"

"Oh, we do it all the time at our cast parties!" Kurt smiled, glancing back at his crew, who nodded in agreement. "You see, you put this on…" he continued, tying a scarf around her eyes. "And you wait in a closet for someone to come in and do what they want for seven whole minutes."

"That's right, how could I forget!" Rachel nervously laughed.

"You'll never guess who wants to go first." Kurt whispered into her ear. "Jesse St. James."

Overcome with giddiness, Rachel allowed Kurt to lead her to the closet and sit her down. Before he closed the door, he asked. "Before I forget, where did you put our project again?"

"Oh, uh… On the steps."

"Thanks." Kurt grinned. "Pucker up." he chuckled as he closed the door. Returning to the group, he quietly said. "Jesse, you think you can get us some beers?"

"Definitely." the older boy said as he ran his hands through his hair.

Just as they reached the door, Lucy was fumbling with the knob to try to get it open. Looking puzzled, she asked. "Where is everyone going?"

"Rachel… She…" Kurt thought quickly. "She decided to end it early."

Lucy shifted the large box in her arms, but kept her eyes on Kurt.

"Actually, she's waiting for you in the closet." he finished before running after his friends and snickering inaudibly.

Wedging the box through the doorway, Lucy managed to get to the basement without causing too much damage. Setting the box on the table, she walked slowly toward the closet where she was told Rachel was waiting. Grabbing the handle and breathing in deeply, she twisted and pulled the door open.

"What took you so long?" she asked, blindly lifting her head up. When she didn't hear a response, Rachel held her hands out, her fingers searching for someone on the other end.

Lucy knelt down and interlaced her fingers with Rachel's. Her heart was beating heavily as she slowly closed her eyes and began to lean forward.

x


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : I know I just posted this less than 24 hours ago, but the first chapter is a bit short and it's the background stuff before the action happens, so I'm uploading the next chapter right away. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Ow!" Rachel yelled, the force of her body hitting the floor jolting her awake. Feeling around the carpet, she managed to find a wall and work her hands up to the handle. Rachel turned it and fell through the door. Rubbing her eyes, she looked down the hallway. "Hello?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, she stood up and leaned against the wall. "Hello?" she repeated, but no one answered. "Dad? Daddy?" but again, to no avail.

Rachel shuffled her way to what seemed to be a living room and looked around. Sitting on the table was a pile of envelopes and she began to flip through them. _Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry._

"I must live here…" she sighed, looking around again. Rachel screamed when her eyes found a mirror and she jumped behind the couch. Inching her head from hiding, she focused her eyes on the reflection. Running her hands through her hair, she brought her hands down to her face and then her… "I have _boobs_." she said aloud.

Suddenly, she heard a pounding on the door. Grabbing the closest object to her, which happened to be a Tony Award, she forgot the knocking for a moment to look down at it. Before she could read whose it was, a man on the other side of the door yelled her name. "Rachel!"

Peering through the peep hole, she saw the man that was making all the noise. "What do you want!" she yelled back.

"Open up!"

"I don't open the door for strangers!" Rachel pushed her back against the door. "Go away!"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, if you don't open this door right now, we're going to be late!"

Sliding her hand down to the knob, she twisted it slowly and looked through the crack in the door. "Late for what?"

The man pushed himself into Rachel's apartment and sat the brown carrier with two coffees he was holding on the counter. "How much did you drink last night?"

"I-"

"It doesn't matter. You need to get dressed." he said, pulling one of the coffees out of the container. "This should help. Now go."

Rachel took the coffee and was about to protest when she looked on the side. _Kurt._

"Kurt!" she gasped.

"Oh, that's mine." he grabbed the coffee back and switched it with the other one.

Staring at the man, Rachel couldn't believe that he was Kurt. He didn't look much different other than being taller with higher hair.

"Okay, you're obviously too hung over to function." Kurt said, grabbing Rachel by the arm, pulling her to the bedroom, and sitting her on the bed. He went into her closet and started pulling out what seemed to be work out clothes. Moving over the her dresser, he pulled out her-

"Hey!" She gasped. "That's my _bra_! I-I think…"

Rolling his eyes, he threw the clothes at Rachel and ordered her to get dressed. "You have 2 minutes. I'll be by the car."

Finally emerging from the apartment building 10 minutes later, Kurt whistled at her to get in the car. Closing the door behind them, he snapped his phone shut.

"You still haven't told me where we're going."

"Our _daily_ exercise?" he replied, clearly annoyed. "That we do _every day._"

"Oh yeah!" Rachel rubbed her forehead. "Why?"

The car stopped outside of a work out studio and they got out of the car. After less than a half an hour inside, Rachel was pleading for Kurt to let her take a break.

"No, we need to keep your ass in shape!" he said with ease as he continued to jog.

"But… I-I…" Rachel struggled. "Please!"

"Fine, but only because you're hung over." Kurt rolled his eyes, slowing his pace down. "Tomorrow we're going twice as long."

Rachel tried to say thank you, but she decided to suck on her water jug instead. Kurt took her to the car again and they drove to a coffee shop a few blocks away.

"You're having another?" she gasped.

"Yeah, and you should be on your second or third by now, too." He laughed. "You must _really_ not be feeling well."

"Actually, it's funny that you say that…" she began. "You see, last night I was 13 and in a closet-"

"Everyone is in the closet at 13."

"I'm being serious!" Rachel stomped her foot.

"Alright, geez." Kurt furrowed his brow at her. "No need for a diva moment."

"What I'm trying to say is I woke up this morning and I'm…_this._" Rachel gestured to her body. "And I don't know what I'm doing!"

Seeing that Rachel was on the brink of having a meltdown, Kurt turned to her and took her by the arms. "Rachel, calm down, we have rehearsal in 45 minutes!"

"For what!" Rachel cried out.

"Repeat after me. I'm Rachel Berry…" he began. "Big time Broadway star."

Rachel's eyes grew wide. Kurt squeezed gently. "Repeat it." he said, and she did.

"I'm a tough bitch and I'm gonna walk into the studio and not let anyone know I'm hungover."

"That's the thing I'm not-"

"Say it!" Kurt scolded, and she did.

"Because the future of Les Miserables Revival depends on me."

"L-Les Miserables?"

Kurt huffed, turned toward the barista, and placed their order. Rachel continued to stare at him. There was no way that _she_ could be a Broadway star _and_ be in a revival of Les Miserables, especially since that would mean that she was in it before. Who was she kidding, of _course_ her thirty year old self would be a Broadway star!

x

"Here's your dressing room. I'll be back in 15 minutes to get you." Kurt said as he rushed down the hall and out of sight.

Rachel opened the door and looked around the room. The walls were filled with pictures of her and numerous others. Tracing the frames with her finger tips, she landed on a signed photo that made her eyes well up.

_Berry girl, cocktails anytime. Love, Barbra_

"I-I'm friends with Barbra Streisand!" she excitedly said to herself. Just then, she heard a knock on the door. Turning around, there was a slender brunette staring back at her in the doorway.

"Hi, Ms. Berry. Anything I can get for you today?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What's your name?"

"M-Marley?" the girl responded with a confused look on her face. "Y-Your assistant?"

"Right!" Rachel slapped her head. She had no idea who this girl was, but she didn't want her to think that she was crazy. "I need my lines… My, uh, my script."

"It's right here, Ms. Berry." Marley said as she walked over to the make up counter and picked up a packet.

"Right! Right…" Rachel pressed her forehead again.

"Anything else?" Marley asked, but Rachel shook her head no.

A few silent moments passed before Marley spoke up. "I think we should get you to the stage now."

"Lead the way." Rachel said as casually as she could.

Once they reached the stage, Rachel's eyes lit up. "There _is_ something you can do for me…"

x

"No, no, no!" Cassandra July slammed her cane on the floor with every word. "Notes have been held better by someone who was undergoing a tongue removal surgery!"

"I-I'm trying." Rachel stammered.

"You're _trying_?" Cassandra laughed. "Amateurs _try_. Professionals _do_ and they do it _perfectly every time._"

Kurt walked up to the older woman and spoke softly. "She's still pretty hung over today…" he sighed. "And she hasn't had any coffee yet."

"Thank you, nurse, for letting me know her entire medical history." Cassandra sneered. "You're done for today."

Throwing her head back and closing her eyes, Rachel couldn't believe how she could possibly be a Broadway star after how horrible the last two hours went. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone tapping on her shoulder.

"What?" she asked, a little aggressively.

"I-I got what you asked for. She's in the neighborhood. The address is on this." Marley said, handing Rachel a piece of paper.

"Thank you!" Rachel beamed, hugging Marley. Her day had finally gotten better.

x

Pressing the buzzer over and over, Rachel started yelling into the speaker. "Lucy!"

"What? Hello?" a woman's voice came through. "I can't hear you… Press two if you're from China Express."

Rachel thought for a moment and then pressed the buzzer twice. Reaching 2B, she started pounding on the thick door. She heard a few locks turning and then saw a stunning blonde woman through the still chained door.

"You're not Chinese…" she said, looking at Rachel with a confused expression.

"You're tall!" Rachel sighed in relief. "You're… different."

"Yeah?"

"You don't know me?" Rachel frowned.

"Rachel. Rachel Berry."

"Yes! Lucy, it's me! It's-"

Rachel was silenced when Lucy slammed the door in her face. Puzzled, Rachel stood still for a moment before turning to leave when she heard the door open again. "No one has called me Lucy since…" Spinning back around, Rachel interrupted Lucy by flinging herself at her.

Muffled in the crook of Rachel's neck, Lucy mumbled. "C-Come on in."

Rachel pulled away from Lucy and looked around her apartment. "You live here?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." Lucy ran her fingers through her hair. "W-Why are you here?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy…"

"It may already be too late for that." Lucy said under her breath.

"Something really weird is happening to me." Rachel began. "Yesterday I was 13 and sitting in my closet and today I woke up in an apartment, I don't remember anything and-"

"Are you…" Lucy stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Are you high?"

"Of course not!" Rachel huffed. "One minute I'm sitting in my closet and the next… I've skipped my whole life! Lucy, you need to help me remember! You need to help me remember my life!"

"Me?" Lucy pointed to herself.

"Yes!"

"I can't do that." the blonde said, shaking her head.

"What?" Rachel asked. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know anything about you." Lucy blurted out. "I haven't spoken to you since high school."

Rachel stepped back and stared at the other girl. "But you're my best friend!" she stated, or pleaded.

"No." Lucy firmly replied. "We're _not _friends anymore."

Taking a deep breath, Rachel brought her hand up to her forehead. She started to murmur things to herself that were inaudible to Lucy. Suddenly, Rachel dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

"Rachel?!" Lucy yelled, collapsing beside the other girls body.

x


	3. Chapter 3

"Welcome back." Quinn forced a smile, pulling the cold cloth from Rachel's forehead.

"I-" Rachel looked around. "How long was I out?"

"Only an hour or so." the blonde said, standing up. "I think it's time you go back to your apartment."

Rachel's face sank down to her hands and she shoved her head into one of the pillows. "I can't." Quinn could hear her say, muffled slightly.

"That's right." Quinn mocked. "You don't know who you are."

"It's not a joke, Lucy!" Rachel sat up, protesting the other girls reaction.

"Stop calling me that… I go by Quinn, now."

"Oh." Rachel took a breath and relaxed a little more. "It's… This is not a joke to me, _Quinn_. And I can't go home because I don't know where that is."

Looking down at her former best friend, Quinn sighed. "I'll help you find it."

After an hour of walking, Quinn looked down at Rachel's license and then over to an apartment building. "Does this look familiar?"

"Yeah, this is where I live now."

"Okay." Quinn smiled. "So, nice seeing you."

Rachel stared up silently with a sad look in her eyes as Quinn started to walk away.

"Lucy!" she called after the blonde. "I-I mean… Do you want to, um, come upstairs and hang out?"

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Quinn thought for a moment before walking back toward Rachel and into the building.

"You never came to visit me?" Rachel asked as she turned the knob and gestured for Quinn to come in.

"Like I said, our lives went separate ways. We went to different colleges, we had different careers."

"Not even for the holidays?"

"Rachel…" Quinn rubbed her forehead. "I think I saw you get out of a taxi once about 9 years ago."

"9 years?" Rachel mumbled to herself. She didn't know how it was possible her and her best friend had grown so far apart. "What happened to us, Quinn?"

"I already told you-"

"No." Rachel interrupted, insisting Quinn explain their lives in more detail.

After a little over ten minutes of searching, Quinn was able to find Rachel's copy of their senior year book and handed it to Rachel. Quinn didn't intend on repeating every disastrous detail of their past and she thought the book would be enough.

Rachel grabbed the book and began flipping through it. Stopping at one of the pages, she blurted out. "I was in the musical cast!"

"Yeah, you pretty much had the lead in everything since Sophomore year. You were the _star_." Quinn said, still looking around the apartment.

As Rachel continued to flip through the pages, she stopped at the prom ones and sighed. "I-I was the Prom Queen…"

Quinn nodded and spoke to herself. "Yeah, _you_ were."

"And I took Jesse St. James! I wonder what happened to him."

"I don't care." the blonde mumbled again.

"I got everything I ever wanted." Rachel gushed. "I can't believe-Quinn!" she yelled, swinging around in her chair with the book still in her hands. "You didn't tell me you were a Cheerio!"

"That's because it was the worst time of my life." Quinn replied softly and avoided eye contact.

Rachel looked sadly over to her former best friend and thought of something to say. "Hey, I-I… There's this cast party thing tomorrow night and we're allowed to bring people… You can come if you want?"

"I'm busy tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." Rachel muttered.

"I'm gonna get going." Quinn finally said as she walked toward the door. Rachel followed her and before she left, she spoke. "What if… What if this isn't a dream? What if this is all real?"

"Then you got everything you wanted." Quinn forced a smile as she walked out the door. Looking back one last time, she gave a more sincere smile. "Goodbye, Rachel."

x

"Come on, woman!" Kurt yelled down the hallway.

Rachel strutted out of her bedroom in a fierce dress, looking beautiful as ever. Kurt stared at her and all he could muster was "damn".

Arriving at the cast party, they walked up to the bar and Kurt ordered a drink. Rachel's eyes grew wide for a second before she remembered they were old enough to drink. "I'll have a straw_berry_ daiquiri. If you need to see my ID, I totally have it."

The bartender shook his head and made their drinks. Wrapping her tongue around the straw, Rachel spun and looked over the room. She knew that not all these people were in her musical, and the only one she recognized was Kurt and...

"Hello, Cassandra." Kurt nodded as Rachel tried to smile. She really didn't like the older woman, mostly because she was really mean to her during her first rehearsal.

"I'd like to have a word with you, Berry." Cassandra eyed the younger woman. "I understand that you were a _big thing_ in your twenties, but you're old now. Before, you had to be perfect, and now, you have to be more than that."

"Maybe we should-" Rachel tried to say that they should talk privately, but Cassandra kept going.

"I've seen better performances from the kids in High School Musical than what you did at rehearsal." She sneered. "If you don't get your act together, your last role on Broadway will be just that… Your last."

"I understand."

"I don't think you do."

The look Cassandra gave Rachel just then made her feel more uncomfortable than she had ever been in her life. Thankfully, Kurt stepped in. "I think she gets it."

"She better." the older woman muttered as she walked away, pounding her cane on the floor with each step.

As soon as Cassandra was out of sight, Rachel slammed her drink on the bar and ran off toward her dressing room. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Quinn just getting to the party. Without warning, she grabbed the blonde by the arm and tugged her to her dressing room.

Shutting the door behind them, Quinn gave Rachel a puzzling look. "What's going on?"

"She hates me!" Rachel cried.

"Who does?"

"_Cassandra July._"

"I-I don't know who she-"

"How could she be so mean to me, I mean, I've never even performed like this before!" Rachel continued to rant. "She said if I don't get better, she'll fire me!"

Quinn's eyebrows lifted. "Can she do that?"

"I don't know." Rachel shrugged. "I guess I'll find out soon enough."

Taking a step forward, Quinn touched Rachel's arm lightly. "It'll be alright."

"How?" the brunette sobbed.

"I-I…" Quinn paused and took a breath. "I-I'll help you?"

"You will?" Rachel's eyes brightened as she looked up at her former best friend.

"Sure." she shrugged. "What were you having trouble with?"

Rachel laughed. "Can you believe it… The singing."

"I-I don't know if I can help with that." Quinn shook her head.

"But you said-"

"I know, it's just…" she couldn't finish her sentence with the way Rachel was staring at her. "Nevermind." Quinn rubbed her eyes gently and sat down on one of the chairs. "Let's hear it."

"Well, you see…" Rachel worried her lip. "It's a duet."

"Oh."

"It's Kurt's part, but he hasn't been taking me seriously so he can't help me and my assistant is also my understudy so if she sees that I can't do it she may use it to her advantage. You know, Broadway is very cut throat."

"Rachel." Quinn mumbled into her hands. "I'm not a singer."

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel laughed. "Just last week we were singing and dancing in my bedroom!"

Quinn arched her eyebrow at the other girl. "Pretty sure I wasn't anywhere near your bedroom last-"

"Here." Rachel said, handing Quinn the lyrics. "It's supposed to be a really emotional scene, I mean, I die you know. Which, now that I think about it, that could be a horrible foreshadowing of my Broadway career…"

"Rachel."

"Sorry." she frowned.

"I guess you're Marcus?"

"No, _you_ are _Marius_. I'm Eponine." Rachel corrected, but she quickly knew that Quinn was joking. She tended to do that when she was nervous, and it made Rachel smile. Finally, she saw something familiar to her best friend.

Quinn got down on the floor and fixed her skirt over her legs. Rachel looked down at her. "What are you doing?"

"You're dying, Rachel, do you really think you have enough energy to stand? Now get down here."

Obeying, she rested her head on the other girls stomach and looked up at her. Quinn smiled down at Rachel before clearing her throat.

Rachel began to sing softly and dramatically, a little too dramatic. "Stop." Quinn interrupted.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, sitting up.

"Too much." Quinn insisted. "Tone it down a little, okay?"

Nodding, Rachel started again. She softly touched her face as she sang, sometimes running her hand down her neck and to her chest, where her wound was supposed to be. Quinn couldn't help but follow the other girls hand as it moved.

"Quinn?"

"Yeah, sorry." the blonde said, shaking her thoughts away as she sang her parts to the best of her abilities.

Rachel looked up at her with wider eyes. Quinn looked so elegant and her voice was better than she had remembered.

_"If I could heal your wounds with words of love" _she sang and squeezed her arms around Rachel lightly, but to Rachel, it felt like a hug.

"_Hold me now, and let it be_"Rachel returned, grazing Quinn's forearm slightly. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that Quinn shivered at the touch.

_"The rain can't hurt me now…" _Rachel continued to move softly in Quinn's arms as she sang. "_The skies begin to clear and I'm at rest._"

Looking down, watching Rachel, Quinn's heart began to pound. She didn't let Rachel know it, but she knew this scene. In fact, she knew the whole musical… By heart by now.

They sang in unison for the first time in 17 years. Rachel almost sang out of beat, solely because of Quinn. Just as Rachel was to die, Quinn brought her hand up to the other girls face.

"_I'll stay with you till you are sleeping_" she sang as Rachel's voice faded out and she pretended to die. "_And rain will make the flowers grow…_"

Quinn took a deep breath and closed her eyes for the last note. Slowly opening them, she glanced down at Rachel and smiled, but Rachel wasn't moving.

_That's right_ Quinn thought to herself. _The scene isn't over._

Leaning down to Rachel, Quinn puckered her lips-

*knock knock*

As soon as she heard that loud noise, Rachel threw her body upright, connecting her head with Quinn's.

"Ow!" they said in unison. Quinn grabbed her jaw and Rachel held her head as she got up and ran to the door.

Peeking her head through the crack, she saw Kurt on the other side. "I know she can be a bitch sometimes, but she just-" he paused as Rachel opened the door wider. "I didn't know you had company."

"It's just Quinn..."

"Wait…" Kurt said, squinting. Suddenly, he began to grin. "Caboosey? Wow…" he nodded, seemingly impressed.

Quinn forced a smile that barely showed on her face. "I was just leaving."

"Kurt!" Rachel scolded and then turned to the blonde. "You don't have to go."

"Yeah, I do." Quinn insisted as she brushed past the other two.

x


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Rachel?"

"Quinn!" she yelled as she ran toward her former best friend.

"Hey." the blonde smiled. "How are you?"

Rachel was too shocked and excited to see Quinn that she just stared back at the other girl, grinning from ear to ear. Quinn stammered a little. "I-I'm sorry about the other night…"

"I-It's okay." she managed to say. "How's your face?"

"My face is fine." Quinn chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

Quinn was about to answer just as she felt a hand appear on the small of her back.

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the other woman that just joined them.

"Rachel, you remember Santana?"

"No, I don't think-"

"Of course she does." Santana insisted, nudging Quinn. "I'm not _that_ easily forgotten."

"Caboosey?" Kurt squinted as he came out of the club. "Is that you?"

Before Quinn could respond, Santana sneered. "Leave her alone, Lady Hummel."

"Oh Satan," Kurt shook his head at the woman. "I see that getting out of Lima Heights didn't give you any more class."

"I've got plenty of class." Santana returned, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes and facing Kurt. "More than enough that I can shove some up your-"

"Don't." Quinn intervened, pulling Santana back by the waist. Rachel's eyes followed the women's movements.

"So, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked again, triying to lighten the conversation.

"We're actually, uh, doing some shopping for-"

"Last minute things for the _big day_." Santana finished. Quinn folded her lips and looked down as Rachel searched for Quinn's eyes.

"_Big day?_" Rachel repeated.

"Yup." Santana smiled widely. "We're getting married."

Laughing unintentionally, Rachel realized they were serious. "Wait, you're _gay_?"

At this point, both Quinn and Santana were looking oddly at Rachel. To them, it was a well known fact that they both have been into girls since high school.

"Well, this has been fun." Santana finally said, looping her arm in Quinn's. "But we still have a lot to do."

"Okay." Rachel smiled softly.

"It was good seeing you again." Quinn said, locking eyes with Rachel before walking away with Santana.

Rachel watched the pair as they continued down the street. Suddenly, her stomach felt in knots. "I-I'm gonna go." she said to Kurt as she turned the opposite direction and out of sight.

x

"Alright people, get around." Cassandra spoke, gesturing the cast toward her. "I have some bad, but expected, news for all of you."

Rachel panted heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She still wasn't used to the vigorous work outs that Cassandra had them do before every rehearsal.

"I have word that your little _cast reunion_ of Les Miserables will have a short and underwhelming run. Which means, for a lot of you…" the older woman paused and stared directly at Rachel. "This will be the last show of your career."

"This is the _revival_, people!" Cassandra waved her hands in the air. "It's supposed to be _better_ than the first time you all did it… _Ten years ago. _Let's go." She finished as she ordered half of the cast to stay and work while letting the others leave.

Walking back to her dressing room, Rachel overheard Kurt talking to someone. "I'm so tired of having her around."

"What is up with her lately?" said the other voice.

"I have no idea, but she needs to go." Kurt insisted. "If we don't do something soon, she's going to be the reason this whole show burns to the ground."

Rachel wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks as she ran down the hall and out of the building.

She didn't understand why everyone in her life was so mean. How could she have surrounded herself with people like this?

Before she knew it, she was outside Quinn's apartment building and looking up. She needed to know what had actually happened to them to make them not be friends anymore.

Knocking quietly, Rachel tugged at her shirt hem and worried her lips waiting for Quinn to answer. When she did, she smiled softly and joked. "You're not Indian."

"Wanna go for a walk?" Rachel blurted.

Her smile fading, Quinn nodded. "Sure."

They didn't talk much until they reached the park. Quinn kept looking over at Rachel and noticed she was fidgeting. Before she could say anything, Rachel spoke up.

"I can't believe you're getting married."

"Yeah… Two months."

"Is she your soulmate?"

Quinn paused and sighed. "I don't know if I believe in those."

"You know what I mean." Rachel pushed. "Do you get goosebumps around her? And butterflies?"

"Ah, no…" Quinn chuckled. "I haven't gotten crazy about anyone like that since… Since I was younger, than goodness."

"Quinn." Rachel stopped the other woman with her hand. "What happened to us? I mean, how come we never stayed friends?"

Taken back by how Rachel phrased the question the first time, Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't know. I forget." she replied, continuing to walk.

Rachel followed Quinn's movements, but pressed the subject more. "No. What happened?"

"I don't know, I guess I can pin point it to your 13th birthday party. You were in the closet and-"

"Everyone ditched!" Rachel interrupted. "That's the last thing I remember."

"Look…" Quinn glanced over to Rachel and shook her head. "We don't have to get into this now. It doesn't matter anymore."

"It matters to me!" Rachel yelled desperately and a little louder than she intended. "Just tell me."

Swallowing hard, Quinn recalled the worst night of her life.

x

_"Actually, she's waiting for you in the closet." Kurt told Lucy before walking away._

_Wedging the box through the doorway, Lucy managed to get to the basement without causing too much damage. Setting the box on the table, she walked slowly toward the closet where she was told Rachel was waiting. Grabbing the handle and breathing in deeply, she twisted and pulled the door open._

_"What took you so long?" Rachel asked, holding out her hands. Lucy interlaced her fingers with the other girls, slowly closed her eyes and leaned forward._

x

"I-I'm sorry… I can't." Quinn interrupted herself. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

"Quinn, you have to tell me what happened!" Rachel pressed further.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know." Rachel looked at Quinn, pleading with her eyes. "What happened next?"

Glancing down at the ground for a moment, Quinn moistened her lips and brought her gaze back to Rachel. "We kissed."

x

_Lucy pulled away from Rachel and slowly opened her eyes. She let her lips turn up into a smile until Rachel spoke. "Oh, Jesse…"_

_"Jesse?" Lucy repeated, startling Rachel and causing her to rip off the blindfold._

_"Lucy! What did you do that for?!" she yelled, standing up and looking past the blonde, wiping her mouth. "Where is everyone? What did you do?"_

_"They left, Rachel." Lucy said, trying to steady her best friend. "They were leaving when I got back and-"_

_Before Lucy could finish explaining what Kurt told her, Rachel continued to yell. "Is this some sort of sick joke? Jesse was supposed to kiss me, not you! What do you think I am? You're a girl!"_

_Lucy took a step back, trying to find the words to explain herself, but her mind came up empty. "I-I…"_

_"Get out!" Rachel screamed._

_Lucy held her hand out to her best friend, almost pleading for her to calm down. Growing even more agitated, Rachel stormed over to where Lucy's present for her sat and picked it up. "Get out and take this stupid thing with you!" She roared, throwing the box at Lucy. Lucy flinched as soon as it hit her and watched helplessly as it fell to the ground and broke. _

_Looking back up to Rachel, Lucy had tears streaming down her face, but Rachel didn't seem to care. Trembling, Lucy picked up the destroyed gift and began walking up the stairs._

x

"And after that day, I guess you told Kurt what happened and he spread it around school." Quinn sighed. "For a while my mom thought I was depressed because of my weight, so I joined gymnastics and eventually got picked to be a Cheerio. Although, none of the pounds I lost came from my butt, so Caboosey stuck for a while."

"It looks great now!" Rachel blurted, almost frantic to say something nice. Quinn furrowed her eyebrows at the other woman, but started laughing.

Pausing, Rachel's tone turned serious. "I'm so sorry…"

"No, no…" Quinn sighed, wiping away one of Rachel's tears. "It's fine, forget it. It was a long time ago."

"Stop being so nice, I don't deserve it. Do you know what kind of person I am now? I don't have any real friends, I don't go home for the holidays anymore, and I'm not a good person." Rachel sobbed as she covered her face and ran away.

"Rachel!" Quinn called after her, but Rachel disappeared into the night, leaving Quinn standing alone.

x


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5:**

"Rachel?"

"Hi, Daddy." she smiled softly and lowered her head. "May I come in?"

"Of course, honey." Hiram said, wrapping his arm around his daughter and leading her inside. Looking around the house, it was significantly less tidy than Rachel remembered it to be. The older man started folding papers into piles and clearing off the couch. "Why didn't you say you were coming? I would have cleaned up more…"

"I just wanted to get home." Rachel replied, taking a seat. "Is Dad at work?"

"What?"

"Dad..." Rachel repeated. "When is he coming home? I need to talk to you both."

Hiram stopped moving papers and looked over to his daughter, tears forming in his eyes. Rachel noticed his long pause and her focus went past him to the mantel. Sitting in the center was a beautifully decorated vase with pictures of her fathers on both sides. Looking back to Hiram, Rachel shook her head violently as she jumped up from the couch and ran to her room.

Opening the door, she sobbed harder. Her room had been turned into a storage area with boxes and more stacks of paper.

Hiram came up next to his daughter and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her back and forth.

Rachel pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "When?"

"What do you mean, _when_?" he returned, confused.

"When did he-"

"Rachel..."

"I need to know!" she yelled. Rachel didn't care if the neighbors could hear her or that she startled her father, she needed to know what had happened to her dad.

"I-I guess it's been almost ten years now."

"_Ten years_…" she repeated. "How?"

Hiram sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We were driving home from visiting you in NYC. He was going on and on about how well you did and he…" Hiram paused. "About halfway home from the airport, a truck swerved into our lane and ran us off the road."

Rachel fell against the wall as she listened to her father recall the night.

"Before we hit the trees, he looked at me." Hiram whispered, holding his hand up to his chest. "I can still feel his arm going across me…"

x

Rachel tossed and turned on the couch that night, unable to believe that her dad was dead; even worse that she hadn't been home to take care of her other father since. As soon as she entered the house, she could tell that something was wrong and he wasn't the same man she remembered. Staring at the ceiling, she thought about how much time she probably missed with her dad before he passed away. She got up from the couch and walked quietly to her fathers bedroom. Pulling back the covers, she crawled in next to him and buried her face in her dad's pillow. When she realized that she wouldn't be able to breath in his smell anymore, her eyes began to fill with tears and she drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Hiram had gotten up early and started to cook breakfast. Once the aroma reached her fathers bedroom, she decided to get up and join him.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Do you ever wish you could go back, like, to another time?"

"What do you mean?" Hiram asked, furrowing his brow.

"If you could get one do over with your life, what would it be?"

"Nothing." her replied simply.

"N-not even for… Dad?"

Hiram paused for a moment and studied his daughter. "Your Dad and I spent 26 amazing years together before he passed away and while I wish I could have 26 more, I know that I can't… So I try to do what I know he would want me to do. Remember all the good times, forget the bad, and live every day as if it were my last."

Rachel looked down at her plate and then back up at her father. He looked so much older than she remembered. "I'm sorry I haven't been home."

Reaching across the table, Hiram placed his hand on Rachel's. "I know you've been busy, honey. Just never forget you're always welcome here, no matter how long it's been."

Smiling at her father, Rachel squeezed his hand. Even though she knew her older self probably thought her Dad's death was caused by her, there was no reason why she didn't go home more, especially since New York wasn't a kind place for her. Suddenly, Rachel broke down in tears.

"Honey?" Hiram said, moving a seat closer to Rachel. "Really, it's okay. You're here now…"

"It's not that, Daddy." she sobbed. "I hate my life in the city. No one likes me, Cassandra wants to fire me from Broadway for the rest of my life, even my best friend hasn't spoken to me since high school!"

"How could someone not like you?" Hiram said as he wrapped his daughter in his arms and began to rock her back and forth. "And who's Cassandra again?"

"She's a butthead!" Rachel blurted out, taking Hiram back a little. It had been a while since he heard someone call another person a _butthead. _

Thinking quickly, Hiram straightened his arms and looking into his daughters eyes. "How about this… Your old high school is performing their musical tonight and I think it would be good if you went."

"McKinley?"

Hiram smiled and nodded.

Rachel thought about it for a moment and decided to go. After all, for as much as she knew, she hadn't been back to high school since her graduation.

x

As the cast took their final bows on stage, Rachel finished giving them a loud round of applause before picking up her program and heading for the door. There was no way her father wasn't aware that they were doing the same musical that she was preparing for, and as soon as she got home she was going to call him on his cleverness.

Just before she reached the exit doors, she heard someone call her name from behind her. Turning around, she saw a tall gentleman running toured her with a large smile on his face.

"Rachel Berry!" he said finally as he caught up to her.

Arching her eyebrow, she tried her hardest to remember who he was so she didn't look like an even more horrible person than she already was.

"Jesse." he said with a smile. "Jesse St. James."

Rachel's eyes grew wide and she threw her arms around to hug him. He embraced her tightly, almost as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Of course, that was completely possible.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him quickly.

"I'm in charge of the music program here now." Jesse replied. "Actually, I'm in charge of all the schools in the county."

"Wow!" Rachel exclaimed. "How do you do all that?"

"It's just the musicals and plays, really. Sometimes music teachers get me to help with fall and spring choir performances, also."

"That's awesome!" she beamed. He was just as handsome as she remembered him to be, but in a mans form. "Well, it was good seeing you…" she finally said, but Jesse touched her shoulder lightly.

"C-Can I ask a favor of you?" he paused. "If you're not in a hurry…"

"Oh, I'm not. What is it?"

"Well, the whole reason why I chose to do Les Mis this year was because I heard you were performing it again on Broadway…" he began. "It would mean so much to the kids if you took a few minutes to say hi."

Rachel's eyes shined at the idea. "I'd love to!"

x

Two hours later, Rachel got back to her fathers house. Hiram was waiting up, reading a book on the chair in the living room. "How was the musical?"

"It was perfect!" she gushed, plopping down on the couch. "Those kids were so into it and their voices… Simply. Amazing."

"I'm glad you had fun." he smiled as he looked over his book at his daughter.

Rachel sat up slowly. "I ran into Jesse St. James after the show."

"Oh?" Hiram replied, this time, not looking up from his book. Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"You knew he was going to be there, didn't you?"

"Yes." he closed the book and rested it on his lap. "I called him this afternoon while you were in the shower and told him you'd be there tonight."

"Daddy!" Rachel gasped. She felt like she had been set up.

"After this morning, I could tell you needed to be reminded that you're an inspiration to so many kids…" he began, standing up. "And here you were, the happiest I have seen you since you've been home."

Rachel knew her Daddy was right. She hadn't been this happy since her assistant told her that she had found Quinn's address.

She spent one more night at her fathers house and left for New York early the next morning. During the trip, she thought hard about the fact that she may never be 13 again, and she might actually have to live the rest of her life from this point on. With new found determination, she vowed to make her first, and possibly her last, performance on Broadway her best.

x


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

-a month later-

Rachel had been working hard with her assistant Marley on getting her body and vocals into performance shape, and she knew she was improving. In fact, just last week at rehearsal, Cassandra nodded at Rachel as she walked past instead of her usual scowling.

However, Rachel had been so caught up in making her performance perfect that she forgot how she left things with Quinn. As soon as rehearsal was finished, Rachel headed over to Quinn's apartment.

"You're not Indian." Quinn joked again.

"You know what I wish I had right now?" Rachel smiled. "Some coffee."

"So…" Quinn started, taking a sip of her coffee. "How's the musical coming along?"

"Absolutely wonderful!" Rachel gushed. "My assistant and I had been working day and night up until last weekend making me better. I have to say, I'm doing something right seeing as Cassandra herself nodded at me during rehearsal earlier. Which, as you have heard, is significantly better than how she usually acts toward me."

Rachel only stopped talking long enough to take a sip of her coffee before she went back to talking about the musical. Still, Quinn listened intently as she always had when they were younger. The look Rachel got in her eyes when she spoke about her passions was contagious. It was impossible for Quinn not to smile during Rachel's rants.

Breaking from her monologue for another sip, Rachel noticed Quinn's familiar smile and she started laughing at herself. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've let you speak since we started walking…"

"It's alright." Quinn insisted. "I don't mind."

Rachel's tone turned more serious. "You're the sweetest person I know, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn smiled at Rachel. "I'm glad you stopped by tonight."

Rachel took the last sip of her coffee. "Which reminds me… I have a ticket for you to come and see me perform opening night, if you're available. I'd really like it if you'd go, mostly because you haven't seen me on stage before."

"I'll be there." Quinn replied quickly. "I'll swing by sometime before the show and pick it up?"

"That's fine." Rachel nodded, throwing away their cups.

Bouncing back toward Quinn, Rachel made a shivering noise and looped arms with the blonde. The act startled her at first, but Quinn relaxed into the gesture finally as they shared a brief moment of silence. She remembered back to a time when they would walk all over Lima until it got too dark to see without any street lights. At that point, they would head to the playground between their houses and go on the-

"Oh my god." Quinn blurted out, causing Rachel's head to pop up from the blondes shoulder.

"What?" Rachel asked curiously.

Quinn nodded her head over to the grassy area beyond the sidewalk. A smirk crossed her face. "I bet I can still go further than you!" Quinn teased, breaking arms from Rachel and running toward the swings. Rachel bit her lip as she chased after the other woman. In a matter of seconds, they were both pushing off the ground and high into the air.

"One…" Quinn began, looking over to Rachel, who was grinning from ear to ear as she joined in the countdown. "Two… THREE!" they yelled in unison, throwing their bodies away from the swing as hard as they could. When they hit the ground, they both groaned loudly as they rolled toward each other.

"I don't know why I thought that was a good idea…" Quinn mumbled. "I'm too old for this."

"You're just mad because you lost!" Rachel stuck out her tongue.

"I think that coffee is clouding your judgement."

The pair rolled onto their backs after they finally agreed that their contest was a tie. Minutes passed until Rachel rolled onto her side to face Quinn. "Can we be best friends again?" she asked, almost as if she were holding her breath.

Quinn turned her head to the other woman and looked her over. Before tonight, she wasn't sure if being close to Rachel again was a good idea. However, after tonight, she knew Rachel had changed and she started to see her old friend again.

"I'd like that."

x

Quinn stretched as she walked into the kitchen. Once the coffee maker stopped churning, she grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured some for herself. Lifting it to her lips, she blew gently as she made her way to her desk. Setting the mug down, Quinn grabbed a pencil and flipped open her planner. She wrote in Friday's block _Rachel - Broadway 7pm_ and circled it. Quinn smiled as she continued to look at the words and remember the night before.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she felt someones hands going over her eyes. Touching theirs with hers, the smile returned to her face.

"Hey! I didn't know you were-" Quinn started to say until she turned around and saw… "Santana?"

"The one and only." she grinned playfully. "Expecting someone else?"

"Of course not." Quinn laughed, reaching behind her to close her planner. "I just didn't know you had the day off."

"I wanted to surprise my beautiful fiance with lunch." Santana wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist and placed a kiss on her lips. "And we have a little time for something else…" she continued, kissing Quinn's neck suggestively.

Quinn closed her eyes at her fiances touch, but quickly opened them when her mind imagined Rachel kissing her instead. "Not right now, babe." she managed to say, placing a gentle kiss on Santana's forehead. "I've got to go run errands quick."

"Typical Quinn Fabray…" Santana teased. "Waiting until the week before our wedding to finish everything."

Quinn picked up her coffee mug and put it in the sink. Grabbing her coat, she kissed Santana again. "I'll be back in time for a late lunch. Promise."

After a while of walking, Quinn finally arched where Rachel said the ticket would be, the same address the party was at a little over a month ago. Opening the door, she looked around Rachel's dressing room for a moment, unable to find the ticket anywhere.

"Looking for something?" she heard a voice say from the hallway.

"Rachel knows I'm here, Kurt." Quinn returned, standing up.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was you, Caboosey." he smirked. Quinn glared back and tried to ignore him, but Kurt pressed on. "How's your fiance feel about your rekindled relationship with Berry?"

Narrowing her eyes, Quinn avoided answering him. She knew it would only feed his hunger for drama. But still, Kurt pressed on. "We both know that you've always had a lady boner for her."

"We're just friends, Kurt." Quinn finally corrected him, balling her fists.

"She's straight, Lucy." he said more seriously.

"I know that!"

"I don't think you do." Kurt got into Quinn's personal space. "So I'm going to let you know what's going to happen. You're going to realize that this little blast from the past is just that, and she had no intention of giving you a ticket to her show. You're her stalker, a-"

"Don't you _dare _call me that!"

"I'm giving you a reality check, princess." he narrowed his eyes again. "You're going to marry Santana, and stay the hell away from Rachel. Don't worry, she wont be upset for long. After all, she ditched your ass in high school, she'll do it again now."

Quinn looked around the room one last time. Even though Kurt made her blood pressure go through the roof, he was right about one thing. Rachel didn't leave a ticket.

Unclenching her fists, she walked past Kurt in defeat. As soon as she was out of the dressing room, her legs couldn't get her away from that place fast enough.

x

"That'll be all." Cassandra pressed her forehead with her fingers. "Lucky for you, my headache isn't _completely_ excruciating today."

Rachel gathered her things and started to leave when she heard the older woman call her over.

"Yes?" she stammered out.

"Whatever you're doing…" Cassandra didn't make eye contact when she spoke. "Keep it up."

Rachel's mouth dropped open for a moment before she snapped it shut and nodded.

Walking back to her dressing room, Rachel opened the door to find the ticket she had left for Quinn still sitting on her table. She could have sworn that Quinn was going to stop by and pick it up today. _Maybe she forgot…_ she thought to herself as she picked it up and put it in her pocket. _I'll just take it to her._

Standing outside Quinn's apartment, Rachel smoothed out her clothes before she knocked. To her surprise, Santana opened the door.

"Rachel Berry?" she asked, just as shocked as Rachel was.

"Hey, Santana." Rachel smiled. "Is Quinn around?"

"She's actually out for the day." The other woman replied.

"Oh." Rachel looked down. "Did she say for what?"

"I can only guess it was last minute things for Saturday."

"Saturday?" Rachel repeated.

"Our ceremony."

"Right…" she held her hand up to her forehead while her other fidgeted with the ticket in her pocket.

"You can.. Come in and wait if you want?" Santana offered. "She should be home soon."

"No, that's alright." Rachel shook her head. "Can you just give this to her for me?"

"Sure." Santana smiled, looking down at the ticket. When she glanced back up, Rachel was gone.

x

Turning her key in the door, Quinn walked into her apartment and took off her coat. She noticed Santana sitting at the table looking at something.

"What's that?" she asked as she got closer, but she already knew what it was.

"Rachel stopped by today." Santana said plainly.

"Oh?" Quinn arched her eyebrow. Before she could say anything else, Santana looked up at the other woman.

"Do you still love her?"

x


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"I don't know if I'm ready…" Rachel panicked.

"You'll do great." Marley replied. "Have faith."

Holding her assistants shoulders, Rachel nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much… For everything."

"Don't mention it, Ms. Berry."

"I told you, call me Rachel." she winked and left her dressing room. Just before she went on stage, Rachel peeked out into the audience. Scanning the crowd, she spotted the empty seat that belonged to Quinn. Her heart sank into her stomach and her eyes began to fill with tears. The set change snapped her out of her trance and she quickly took her spot.

While singing On My Own, Rachel couldn't help staring at Quinn's empty seat. The power behind her voice was fueled by her pain and confusion as to how Quinn could blow her off so easily. Suddenly, as the last note of the song was played, Rachel's heart pounded with a realization that Rachel's mind couldn't yet comprehend.

Leaving the stage, she felt like she was going to throw up. However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurt and a few of the other cast members eyeing her. Straightening up, she took a moment before going to the quick costume change. She thought about how she hated having to perform her last big number alongside Kurt.

Laying in his arms, Rachel looked up at Kurt and tried to imagine anyone else, but the only person who came to mind was Quinn. She replaced everything around her with that night Quinn helped her in her dressing room. She thought about the other woman's voice, her embrace, and her leaning down when-

The last chorus number received a demanding applause, one that was louder than Rachel had ever heard before. She smiled and took her bow, enjoying the moment briefly until her eyes found Quinn's empty seat again. The entire building went quiet and everyone's actions were slowed down. The only thing that had Rachel's attention was that damn empty chair.

After the show, the cast and crew were busy celebrating, but Rachel wasn't in the mood. Before she was able to leave, Cassandra stopped her. "Brilliant performance, Rachel Berry." the older woman smiled. "Do it again tomorrow night."

Rachel watched as Cassandra went back to the party. She knew she should have felt overjoyed with knowing her career wasn't over, but she felt nothing, even after seeing Cassandra smile for the first time.

"Well well…" Kurt muttered from behind Rachel. "Looks like you live to see another performance."

Rachel rolled her eyes, turning to face him.

"I don't know how you pulled it off." he continued. "It's almost as if you were singing to someone you genuinely loved, but they don't love you back." Kurt saw that his words had struck a cord with Rachel. "Oh my god!" he laughed. "What is with you lesbians?"

"I'm not a lesbian!" Rachel fired back.

"Good." Kurt said seriously, walking toward her. "Then you'll have no problem letting Quinn go."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her feet.

"Quinn could have come tonight, but she chose not to."

"She probably just didn't get my ticket…" Rachel thought aloud.

"Honey, if Quinn wanted to be here tonight, she would have even without your ticket."

"The show was sold out-"

"She decided two months ago that she wasn't going to come." Kurt crossed his arms.

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do." he replied. "You don't think it's odd that the first opening night she misses just happens to be the one before her wedding day?"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked, clearly confused. "She said she's never seen me-"

"Oh, she has."

"Stop it!" Rachel yelled, tired of hearing Kurt talk. "Quinn would never lie to me."

"I'd say you could ask her yourself, but she's probably back in Lima right now, shacked up with Santana, nice and cozy in bed, _definitely_ not sleep-"

*SMACK*

Kurt covered his face with his hands and widened his eyes. "You'll regret this, you little…" he began to say, stepping closer to Rachel.

"What's going on here?" Cassandra asked, approaching Kurt and Rachel.

"With all due respect, Ms July, I quit." Rachel stated, eyes fixed on Kurt.

"You can't just quit!" the older woman yelled. "This is _BROADWAY._"

"I just did." Rachel turned her back to the growing crowd and showed them all how a true diva stormed out.

In her dressing room, Rachel had begun clearing all her things out and into her bag.

"What are you doing?" she heard from the doorway.

"What I should have done a while ago." Rachel said, throwing the bag over her shoulder.

"You can't leave…" Marley pleaded. "I'm not ready."

Rachel wrapped the younger girls face in her hands. "You were born ready." she smiled. "Have faith."

"Thank you…" Marley let out a sigh as she hugged Rachel goodbye.

x

Rachel didn't stop until she reached Quinn's doorstep. "Quinn!" she yelled over and over with each pound, but no one replied. Kurt was right again, Quinn had already left with Santana for Lima.

Back at her own apartment, Rachel leaned against the closed door and looked around. She had wanted to be 30 so bad, but she had no idea her life would turn out like this. Three months ago, she thought she had everything she ever wanted. Now, all she has is an empty apartment and Tony's that can't keep her warm at night.

She didn't want this life. She wanted to be 13 again, in her basement, celebrating her birthday with her best friend. She didn't want to be alone in a room full of people anymore.

Tears started rolling off her cheeks as she slid down to the floor. Rachel buried her face in her hands and mumbled _I wanna be 13 again_ over and over. Stopping suddenly, she lowered her hands away from her face and looked up.

She was still in her apartment.

Rachel threw her head against the door and laughed softly at herself. She didn't know what she was expecting that to do. After all, she had no idea how she became 30 in the first place.

An hour passed, or two, or three for all Rachel knew. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't feel her butt anymore. Standing up, Rachel walked over to the kitchen and checked the time.

3:16 a.m.

Bringing her hand to her forehead, she tried to rub out the headache she was getting. _Caffeine _she thought to herself. _That's what I need…_ but she couldn't figure out her coffee maker. Frustrated, she slammed her fists on the counter. What was she doing?

x


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Daddy?" Rachel yelled as she walked into her fathers kitchen. "Crap…" she muttered under her breath, looking around. A piece of paper on the counter caught her eye. Picking it up, she read it.

the union between

Quinn Fabray

and

Santana Lopez

Skimming past a few lines, she saw what she needed.

When: 3 p.m.

Where: The Fabray Residence

Rachel sighed for a moment a the thought of a backyard ceremony and seeing the Fabray's house decorated in flowers and white. However, Rachel didn't have to just imagine to see it for long.

She managed to get past Mr. and Mrs. Fabray and climb the stairs to Quinn's bedroom without being seen. Taking a deep breath, Rachel opened the door. Quinn casually turned around until she saw who had come in. "Rachel?"

Rachel's mind quickly went blank. The only thing she could do was stare back at Quinn. She knew she was beautiful before, but looking at her now, it was almost as if Rachel was seeing Quinn with new eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked, snapping Rachel out of her trance. She had no idea where to begin, so she just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Why didn't you come see me last night?"

"What?" Quinn was caught off guard. "You came all the way to Lima just to ask me-"

"I let you a ticket and you didn't pick it up. You didn't even call to say you couldn't make it." Rachel blurted, clearly hurt. "You're supposed to be my best friend, right?"

Quinn stared at her feet silently. It was clear Rachel didn't know everything, but this was neither the time nor place to correct her.

Rachel blinked hard. "It's true, isn't it? Kurt told me."

Looking up to Rachel, Quinn arched her eyebrow. "Rachel, look…"

"I can't believe you would lie to me!"

"Wait, what?" Quinn had no idea what the other woman was talking about now.

"He said you've seen me perform before and-"

Rachel stopped talking when she heard Quinn let out a small laugh. "This isn't a joke, Quinn!" Rachel got angry as she watched Quinn approach her closet. Reaching to the top shelf, she pulled down a box with tape covering it. Popping it open, Quinn lifted a stage platform out and put it on the bed.

"It was my present to you…" Quinn stated. "I never got to show it to you because you threw it at me."

"You kept it this whole time?" Rachel said, amazed.

"I guess I was never ready to let go of it." Quinn shrugged.

"It's beautiful." Rachel sighed, standing up and looking into Quinn's eyes. "You believed in me?"

"I always knew you'd make it big."

"You never stopped supporting me, even after I was so mean to you…" Rachel began to tear up. "That's why you never missed a show."

Quinn nodded slightly. It was part of the reason.

Rachel smiled wide. She could feel her chest flutter again and her mind finally catch up with her heart. "Quinn…" she began, looking down at her hands. "I doubt I've been able to walk down the street once in the last 15 years without being stopped for an autograph. I have Tony's in my apartment, which by the way, is incredibly larger than it needs to be for one person. My name has lit up the city sky on dozens of occasions-"

"What's your point?" Quinn interrupted, not understanding why Rachel was going to make her late for her own wedding just to gloat about her success.

"My point is…" Rachel breathed out. "I quit my Broadway show last night."

"You did _what_?" Quinn blurted.

"I quit." Rachel repeated more confidently. "And the strange part about it was that I didn't care. Well, I did, just not as much as I thought I was going to." Rachel could tell Quinn wanted to say something, so she did what she always did best: Kept talking. "Last night I lost what I thought was the most important thing in my life. But afterward, when I didn't feel anything different, that's when I knew it wasn't the one thing that matter to me the most."

"Rachel…" Quinn tried to stop the other woman, but she couldn't. A part of her was curious what Rachel was saying.

"I should have realized it when you took care of me on your couch after we hadn't spoken in years, or when you showed up at the cast party even though you told me the night before that you were busy, or when you calmed me down and helped me with my duet even though you were timid about your voice, or when you were about to kiss me before Kurt came in…"

Quinn's cheeks flushed. She didn't think Rachel had noticed.

"Or when my first instinct after having a horrible day wasn't to talk to Kurt or anyone else, but to show up at your apartment and hope you were home." Rachel dropped her hands to her sides and took a few steps closer to Quinn. "Most importantly, I should have realized when I felt my heart slowly break into a thousand pieces after you said you were getting married. But I didn't, at any of those moments, put together what was happening. It wasn't until I was on stage in front of all those people, living out what I thought was my dream, that I knew… I knew that being on stage didn't matter unless I could look down and see you."

Rachel gestured to Quinn as tears formed in her eyes. "Please, say something before I die." she breathed out desperately.

"Rach…" Quinn finally spoke. "I'm not going to lie to you. I've felt things in the last few months that I didn't know I could feel anymore." The corners of Rachel's lips turned up into a smile until Quinn continued. "But, like you, I've had some realizations of my own."

Once again, Rachel could feel her chest tightening and her eyes glazing over. "You can't just turn back time, Rachel. We're not kids anymore. I've moved on…" Rachel's mouth let out a small gasp as she did her best to prevent her tears from leaving her eyes. "We've gone down separate paths, we've made choices, and while those choices may not have given us the lives we've dreamed of…" Quinn paused. "I chose Santana."

Rachel officially lost all control over her emotions. This wasn't supposed to be how the conversations went. She's seen the movies. Someone would always show up just before the wedding, confess their true feelings, and they would live happily ever after. Why wasn't this happening for her?

"Please don't cry, Rach…" Quinn pleaded as she stepped toward the brunette. Rachel backed away and shook her head, wiping the tears from her face. "No, I'll be fine. Promise."

Quinn kept her eyes on Rachel, not believing her. Rachel was always a terrible liar.

"Look, I don't want you to be late. Just go, I'm fine. I'm crying because I'm happy." Even Rachel didn't believe herself. She was always a terrible liar. Reaching out and squeezing Quinn's arm, Rachel forced a smile. "I want _you_ to be happy… So, so happy." she sighed and let go, sinking away from Quinn, avoiding eye contact.

After a moment, Quinn breathed in deeply and walked to the bed. Picking up the model, Quinn turned to Rachel and handed it to her.

"I-I can have it?" Rachel managed to say. "Are you sure?"

Looking down at the gift, Quinn blinked slowly and nodded. "I think I've kept it long enough."

Rachel's lips quivered as she took the gift in her hands and opened the bedroom door. "I love you, Quinn Fabray." Rachel could hardly speak, but she turned back toward Quinn and forced one last smile. "You're my best friend."

Quinn watched as Rachel closed the door behind her. As soon as it shut, the first tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"I've always loved you." Quinn whispered, but the words found no ones ears but her own.

x


	9. Chapter 9

**x**

Rachel could hardly breathe as she walked slowly down each step. The house was completely empty now. Leaving through the front door, Rachel made her way to the sidewalk and looked toward the house. She was able to see the ceremony in the back yard.

The music started and Russell started walking Quinn down the aisle to take her place at the alter. Santana came into view next. Rachel watched until the priest rose his hands above Quinn and Santana, announcing them as wives. Turning away just before the kiss, Rachel let out a soft sob as she clutched tightly to the last thing she had of her best friend. Her vision remained cloudy as she continued to walk toward her fathers house.

Suddenly, Rachel heard a horn and then a crash. She felt the model leave her hands and her head collide with the pavement.

Everything went black.

Rachel slowly began to hear voices again, but only faintly. She tried to make out what they were saying, but was unable to.

She heard footsteps next.

As they were coming closer, Rachel heard a click.

Holding her hands blindly out, she felt someone grab onto her. She trembled as her fingers frantically laced with the others. Rachel startled slightly when she felt something soft press against her lips. Staying still, the brunette took in her surroundings.

Rachel was propped upright against something, and there was music playing softly in the background. Her lips were now void of the gentle touch and Rachel brought her hand to her face. Feeling around her head, she realized she was bandaged, probably from the accident.

Clearing her throat, Rachel tried to speak. "A-Am I in heaven?"

"No, just in a closet."

She heard a gentle voice. A girls laugh.

Rachel paused for a moment. She recognized the familiar sounds. They were, after all, her favorite.

Pulling off the blindfold, Rachel saw Quinn kneeling in front of her.

Smiling from ear to ear, Rachel yelled "Quinn!" and threw her arms around the blondes neck, causing them both to fall to the floor.

"Did you just call me-" Lucy couldn't finish the sentence. Rachel had her lips preoccupied, and she didn't object. When the finally parted, Lucy looked up at Rachel.

"You sure know what you're doing!"

Rachel laughed and grabbed Lucy's face, planting kiss after kiss all over the blonde.

x

**_15 years later_**

Rachel walked slowly out onto the patio. She smiled and bit her lip as Hiram took her arm. Looking up to him, she whispered, "I'm so glad you're here…" before turning to her other side to where LeRoy stood and added. "Both of you." Her fathers kissed her on her forehead before walking her down the aisle.

Rachel locked eyes with the love of her life and couldn't help but smile. These tears were tears of utter joy, and the woman standing in front of her had made the last 15 years the best of her life. Now, Quinn Fabray was about to become her wife.

"Ever since the day I met you…" Quinn began, smiling wide as she looked back into Rachel's eyes. "I knew my life would never be the same." She squeezed Rachel's hand tightly as she continued. "It wasn't until our first kiss that I knew I'd marry you one day."

"Quinn…" Rachel took a deep breath. "It took me longer than you know to realize how I felt about you. It wasn't until I saw a future without you by my side that I knew you were it for me. You've always believed in me, no matter how crazy my dreams were, and you've loved me beyond anything I could have ever imagined."

The gentleman standing next to them raised his hands above their heads. "I now pronounce you Mrs. and Mrs. Fabray-Berry."

Rachel smiled widely at the sound of her new last name. She didn't care whose came first, as long as they were together, that's all that mattered.

x

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the final chapter! I enjoyed writing it and thanks for reading! =D**


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